


Don't Be Fooled by the First Water

by hlravensnest_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Raven, Sweet Revenge - Nora Roberts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-12-31
Updated: 2001-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-16 21:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11837775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hlravensnest_archivist/pseuds/hlravensnest_archivist
Summary: Amanda goes in for a little "side work" and uncovers a deep feeling.





	Don't Be Fooled by the First Water

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HL Raven's Nest](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HL_Raven%27s_Nest). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HL Raven's Nest's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hlravensnest/profile).

Don't Be Fooled by the First Water by JunRuiChen

  


  


  


_Don't Be Fooled by the First Water_

By Sherry aka JunRuiChen 

A _Raven/Sweet Revenge_ crossover 

Characters: Amanda, Lucy, Philip Chamberlain and Princess Adrianne 

Feedback: Yes, please! Not required, but they will be received with much thanks. :) Flames will be ignored. 

Summary: Amanda goes in for a little "side work" and uncovers a deep feeling. Warnings: I don't have anything to warn about, only you might not get the ending unless you've read Sweet Revenge. Rating: PG-13. 

Notes: This is a crossover with Nora Robert's "Sweet Revenge". When I read the book, I really loved it and I started to wonder what might happen if Amanda's path crossed with P.C. and The Shadow's. :) Those who know this would know what I'm talking about. 

* * *

She had been watching this mark for some time now. It was dark as she walked past and looked up at the dark, looming building. She felt a smile tugging at her lips as she imagined the two gems in her hands. 

The Delacroix gems were legendary. Almost every big time jewel thief had heard of them -- and the impenetrable house they were stored in. The gems were protected by the most sophisticated alarm system, infrared lasers, motion detectors, the works. No one -- no one -- had ever gotten in before and that was enough to tempt Amanda. 

She sighed as she recalled the last person to try for the Delacroix gems. He hadn't been so lucky. He had been caught by the police only two minutes into the job. Amanda quirked a grin. There was no way she was going to be that sloppy. Apparently, the man had forgotten about the silent alarms he had triggered when he went past the infrared sensors. Even a rookie knew to disable the damned things before going in. 

It was the challenge, the preparations, the execution, it was something she lived for. It was the knowledge that she could do something like this, be special in her art that made all the difference. There was nothing like the exhilaration she felt as she lifted her prize up and know that with each and every harder job, she was getting closer and closer to being invincible, that there would be no place, no thing she could be kept out of. 

Of course there was also the competition. She knew about most them, knew their capabilities and few of them had her skill, she did have over a millennia of experience under her belt, after all. 

There had been people who came close: P.C., who stole the De Marco collection and The Shadow who got the Lady Caroline's diamond. She hated The Shadow for that one. She had been planning on taking the diamond herself. Twenty-two carats and a nearly flawless, beautiful specimen. Amanda almost sighed out loud as she envisioned the large diamond within her grasp. With a rock like that, she might not even sell it. It would have been nice to have; keep it out of sight for a few centuries and then pull it out when the public forgot about the heist. 

But she didn't have to worry about the two of them any more. They had drifted off scene almost a decade ago, a pity. She would have loved going against them a few more times. But that was the problem with mortals, they always get older and older and soon they become too old to work. 

Sparing them no other thought, Amanda tried to concentrate on the house she was going to break into the following night. _Wait'll Nick learns about this..._ she thought fondly. Knowing Nick, and she knew Nick, he would be totally ballistic. 

She allowed a sinister grin grow on her face. Nick was out on a case for the last month or so, one that she had not been allowed to go on. She huffed, remembering how it felt being left out and the indignant feeling she had, thinking it wasn't fair for Nick to forbid her to do anything. But, on the up side, she did find something to keep her mind busy during her time alone. 

It had taken her the first few days to research the place, get the plans and the general layout of the place. After that, she had went in as part of the cleaning crew -- it wasn't smart to stumble on an ottoman or knock over a table on accident while she was trying to be inconspicuous -- and mapped out the area. 

With a first glance, it was easy to see where the gems were kept. A well-hidden vault in the library, behind a few books. But then again, she did have the benefit of having the blueprints of the building. 

She sighed, pulling her coat closer towards her. It was a cold night and she wondered what had possessed her to take a walk over to the place. She looked up and saw the lone light at the top of the building. That was her destination. The vault the Delacroix gems were held in was up there. 

_Soon, little pretties,_ she promised with once last look. 

She glanced down the darkened street. There was hardly anybody out, but then again it was after 1 am and it was a residential street, albeit a high class residential street. Ahead of her were two people, a couple, huddled together to get warm. They were standing side by side, also looking up at the building she had been checking out too. 

Curious and a bit intrigued, Amanda kept on walking towards them. She was done here and wouldn't need to linger so long. She was nearing the couple. The two were wearing black, as she was, the woman in her mid-thirtiesm and the man in his mid forties. _They look cute together,_ she realized. The two of them were matched. The matching rings glinted as the light of the street lamps hit them and with a jolt, Amanda realized they were married. 

The woman was beautiful. Although there was little light, it did not mask the woman's brilliance. Even though she was a bit advanced in ages, she had no hint of grey. Her eyes, as was her hair, were dark, the lack of light making her seem as if she was a demoness rising from the dark to seduce the most immovable man. There was something exotic about her, almost as if she wasn't fully Caucasian, but that only added to her allure. 

The man was equally breathtaking. He was dignified, regal, and absolutely beautiful. A hint of grey at his ears gave him an elegant look and he bore the look of man who always gets what he wants. Unconsciously, she compared the man to Duncan. While Duncan was large, this man was thin. They seemed about the same height, but this man was fairer in color than Mac. He was more like Methos, both of them with British aristocratic looks. 

The man leaned over to whisper a sweet nothing in his wife's ear. The woman smiled seductively, turning towards the man and pulling him closer by the lapels of his overcoat. They kissed passionately and Amanda looked on, a strange tugging in her chest making itself known. She wondered if she and Nick would ever be like those two, after being with each so long with the flame still burning brightly. She stopped her line of thought immediately, chastising herself. _We aren't even together! What am I doing thinking of our future together?_

She had never had the feeling she had whenever she thought about Nick. Nick was a mystery to her. In the past, she had always known she could lure the man to her bed, but with Nick, it was different. Never had she doubted her ability to capture a man, but Nick, she didn't want to just capture. She wanted to keep; she wanted her feelings to be reciprocated as well. _Oh, God..._ she moaned. _I'm in love,_ she realized with a shock. Almost instantly she felt the need to throw up. 

She never intended to fall in love and she still didn't want to be in love. But she was and it seemed as if she had nothing to do with it. The only thing she had planned on was a game of sorts, to see how long would the upstanding cop fall apart and fall under her charms. She expected a lover, not a mate. 

_Now what?_ she wondered. What was she to do? _Nothing,_ she came to. She'll just sit back and watch. People in her profession had to be observant, to bide her time. She could wait and when her time came -- and it will -- she'll grab the chance and catch her elusive Wolfe. 

***** 

"Now wasn't that fun?" Adrianne asked with a knowing smile. She was breathless, the adrenaline from a job well done still driving her. Peeking a glance at Philip, she could see he was the same way. A bubble of love grew inside of her. It was at times like this she loved the man she married even more. Almost like when they had caught an exceptionally good thief but more so. There was something about taking a beautiful gem from the indecently rich. It was like what she had told him years ago, the instant right before you open a Dom Pérignon, right before the cork flies off and the whole thing bubbles out. 

Her husband of ten years refused to look at her eyes. She gave him a poke in his stomach to get him to acknowledge her. "Don't lie to me. I know how you feel about this." 

Philip sighed. Turning back to look at his wife, he felt a small smile tug at his lips. He could never stay mad at her for too long. "All right. It was fun," he admitted. Backtracking when Adrianne's eyes glared at him, he rectified his first statement. "Okay, okay. It was exhilarating." He turned to glare at her. "Happy?" 

A large grin answered his question. 

Philip stopped his wife and pulled her close, their bodies almost touching. He reached out, grasped her chin and gently turned her face towards the building. "Look up, my dear. You see the light?" He felt the silent nod of admission. "We have just stolen two gems, a ruby and an emerald -- the fabled Delacroix gems," he paused. Letting go of Adrianne's chin, he shuffled until he was standing face to face with the woman he loved. Leaning in and giving her a searching gaze, he asked carefully, "Are you sure this is what you wanted?" 

Laughing, Adrianne gabbed Philip with both hands and gave him a swift hug, planting her mouth firmly on his, trying to coax more passionate kiss. Off-balanced, Philip just went with the flow, holding onto his wife tightly and taking a hold of the situation, invading her mouth with his tongue. Reluctantly, Adrianne pulled out and responded, "Of course this is what I want! What better present could there be? We have just proven that The Shadow and P.C. aren't out of it as most people think. Plus, no one will be the wiser, we did leave two perfectly _fake_ gems in their place. No one will be the wiser, especially since Spencer still thinks we're in the country with Phoebe and Philip. Even if they do find the gems missing, they'll blame it on a thief who's actually still working...maybe the Raven, Amanda, isn't it?" She looked to Philip to gauge his reaction. The Raven was a sore spot for him; the woman had eluded him for over a decade. Sure enough there was a small twitch on the side of his mouth, almost unnoticeable. 

She pulled out of the embrace and looked ahead. A lone figure stood, looking at the same house, the same top floor as they had been earlier. Adrianne touched Philip's arm. "Look," she indicated the person ahead of them. "Isn't this familiar?" she asked, referring to her and Philip's first meeting. 

Philip chuckled, now also looking at the figure. "Extremely, but if that person has the intent of doing what you did all those years ago, he or she is going to find a large surprise waiting for them." 

Almost as if lost in thought, the person shook his or her head and started walking towards them. As the figure drew closer, Adrianne could see it was a woman, dressed in black with platinum blond hair. She wrinkled her nose at it. Why anyone would dye their hair was beyond her, but the tresses didn't do anything to hide her beauty. Slowly she drew her attention away from the woman and back onto Philip. 

"Are you any closer to pinning Lady Dumont's necklace on Amanda?" she asked, as the other woman walked out of hearing range, trying to change the conversation as well as diverting his attention away from the woman. 

"Hmmm? Oh, no. That woman has a solid alibi, but I'm sure it was her! One of these days Amanda Montrose is going to slip up and I'll be there to catch her!" he promised vehemently. 

Calming down a bit and giving the building one more look, he commented, "I can't believe we just did that," he muttered under his breath, hoping she didn't hear. He wasn't that lucky. 

"And why not?" she asked indignantly. "Besides, it was fun! It's good to know you haven't gotten rusty in your old age. After all, you've been in retirement the longest." 

It was now his turn to sound indignant. "What is that supposed to mean, Addy? Old age," he retorted. "I'm not old." 

"Of course not, dear," Adrianne soothed, rubbing a hand on his arm causing him look into her beautiful brown eyes. 

"You're right," he agreed. "It was fun and after a decade and a half of good service, it's time I took a little time off and have a little fun. Besides, it made you very happy." He leaned in close and whispered, "Happy Tenth Anniversary." 

***** 

"Yes!" Amanda cried as she crossed the threshold of her apartment. 

"Good job?" Lucy questioned. 

"Very," Amanda answered with a grin. She pulled out off the velvet bag at her waist holding the gems. It had gone off without a hitch, only a few unexpected surprises and complications. It had taken her under thirty minutes, a bit too close for comfort though. 

After scaling the building, she found herself onto top of the roof. From there she disabled the alarm system and motion detectors, she sneaked into the room through a window. Inside, she had to turn off the infrared lasers, making them think it was only 3 PM. Getting into the safe was easy and soon she heard the tumblers slipping into place through her stethoscope. By that time, she had already been at it for almost twenty minutes and had ten minutes to get out before everything turned back on. 

The vault itself had a few extra features she hadn't had counted on, but she rectified that easily and soon she was staring at the stunning ruby and emerald. Quickly taking them out and putting them away, she didn't even have time to examine them before she need to get the hell out of the building and to remove all traces of her ever being there before the alarms automatically turned back on. 

"Well?" Lucy asked impatiently, hovering behind her, looking over her shoulders, trying to see the gems. 

Amanda sent Lucy a hard look before getting back to her bag and opening it up. Pulling the ruby out, she took out her loupe to inspect her prize. Taking a look, she fought the urge to freeze up and drop the stone. She tensed, not believing what she was seeing. 

"What?" Lucy inquired, seeing her friend tense up. 

Amanda grabbed the bag where she had left it on the table. Taking the other gem out, she inspected the emerald as well. One look convinced her suspicions. "Damn," she swore under her breath. "Damn, damn, DAMN!" She threw the stone away and moved away. 

"I can't believe this!" she raged. 

"What?!" Lucy demanded, now a bit upset that she had been ignored for so long. 

"The damn things are fakes," Amanda said bitterly. "Paste, costume jewelry! Worth only a few hundred, nothing more! DAMN!" she swore. 

"The Delacroix gems are fakes?" Lucy asked, shocked. 

"No." Amanda shook her head. There was no way the gems are fake. "No," she repeated. "The Delacroix gems have been documented, appraised. There's no way they could be fakes." She sighed. "Somebody must have switched them. I was too late," she spoke caustically. 

"Nick'll love this. Amanda steals gems only to find out they're fake. Great!" She closed her eyes, a dull headache forming at her temples. 

"I'll go make some tea," Lucy announced helpfully. She quickly flitted away. 

Groaning, Amanda flopped down on her couch. "Damn!" 

_The End_  
  
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